Saturday, Dec. 5, 2015
11PM! Long day!
Long day tomorrow, too.
Today Celeste and I went to funeral 10AM, shook hands, gave hugs, but didn’t stay. Talked with funeral guy Ricky Donovan, mostly about hunting. Met Smith boys’ music teacher’s husband, who was going to play organ for the service, and asked if he could recommend a piano mover. He said he moves pianos and thought he might move Celeste’s on a hand cart, yes, from Celeste’s house down the street, down the sidewalk, up our sidewalk, up our steps, into our living room, tomorrow. Might. Stay tuned. Next possibility is that he’ll use an enclosed trailer to go the three blocks, but not tomorrow. I described Celeste’s china closet to him, and he thought he could push that on a hand cart, too, in two pieces, without breaking glass. I forgot to ask if we could leave the plates and wine glasses in it.
Ever hear of Scott Houston’s Play Piano in a Flash?
C. and I went from Redeemer to her house, to measure the piano and china closet before lunch, and I saw Ken Roundy working in his yard next door. I asked Ken’s advice about getting a rivet hinge out of one side of Celeste’s mailbox door, where the rivet has, for some several months, about every third weekday, been pulling free of its hole when the mail carrier opens the box not gently. I figured I’d replace the rivet with a bolt, but getting it out seemed to require awkward surgery. Drill? Hacksaw? Ken told me, “Pinch the flared end with pliers and it should come out no problem. Replace it with a bolt.”
C. and I took the furniture measurements, which I wrote on a piece of bright white cardboard big as my hand and of course immediately misplaced it, and then went home to eat a quick lunch and gather tools for the mailbox repair. By the time we got back to Celeste’s house, Ken was at the mailbox, almost finished with the task. Once again I have been rewarded for procrastination. I yelled, “Hey! That’s a federal offense, Ken, tampering with that thing!” He had nipped the rivet with big nippers, a tool I do not have, a quicker method than crushing the faulty flare with vise grips. Ken provided bolt, washer, nut, and labor; I furnished a locknut and enjoyed the satisfaction of five minutes’ participation in the project.
I wanted the furniture measurements so we could calculate the feasibility of continuing to host holiday dinners at our house if 37% of the dining room is occupied by an Ashley china closet. Also, I am curious (and do not yet know) whether a console piano can make the turn through the foyer and into the living room without being tipped on end.
We emptied the china closet and dusted it and hurried home to get ready to pick up Dad at the farm to attend St. John’s Christmas concert. We arrived twenty minutes before the starting time and couldn’t find three seats together in the main part of the sanctuary. The ushers sent us not to the overflow seats in the narthex but into the choir loft, hooray! The choir was sitting downstairs tonight. Great view from on high, and the balcony was not full, so I could have napped if there hadn’t been a big spotlight above the organ pipes, shining down on our hymn books, scorching my poor head.
Bedtime. I’m thinking of expanding this report to account for the rest of the past year. We could enclose it with our Christmas cards if we decide to send any.
Sweet dreams.
Love, Dave
